Tinderboy
}} The Tinderboy is a young candleman that appears in Might and Magic: The Shadowsmith. He was small, thin, and usually very docile. According to Hitch, he "normally stood where he was placed until someone placed him somewhere else". Tinderboy lore According to Varve, when a tribe of candlemen grew so large that resources in the area began to run out, the hetman would choose a child to become the center of a "secondary kin grouping". Regardless of gender, this child was given the title of tinderboy, and was taught the skills of leadership, as well as how to conduct burning rituals. Once the education was complete, half the tribe would follow their new hetman to new lands. Varve, who was familiar with candleman lore, believed that, since there were now so few candlemen, and plenty of resources to share, there hadn't been a true tinderboy for at least 500 years. The tinderboy Shortly after Hitch's group entered the Blasted Lands, they found what remained of a tribe of candlemen that had been massacred. As they searched through the burned remains of the camp, they found a young boy hidden in a hastily excavated hollow. The boy carried a crude doll carved from white wormbone, which was dressed in a brown smock that matched the boy's own. He also carried a wooden strongbox shut with iron bands. Like the other candlemen, he didn't speak the human language. Not wanting to leave a young child alone in the desert, they brought him with them, planning on leaving him with the first tribe of candlemen they came across. A few days later, they spotted a tribe wandering through the desert. As candlemen could be quite unfriendly to outsiders, they decided not announce their presence until the morning. That night, Hitch was woken by a thunderstorm, and saw the tinderboy watching the storm, with the strongbox open in his lap. Suddenly, a flying craft appeared, and attacked the candlemen's camp. Fire swept the ground as the ship flew back and forth, reducing the camp to ash. Changing direction, the ship then flew straight towards Hitch's group, but was struck by the building thunderstorm, and became disoriented. The others prepared the wagon while Hitch picked up the tinderboy, and they fled as the thunderstorm died. The boy traveled with them to Tustable Impery, and into the tunnels beneath it. When they encountered Carverax, the giant was fascinated by the boy, and told them that it had never seen a "diminutive person" before. The boy was equally fascinated, and soon began riding around on Carverax's shoulder with a wide smile on his face. The boy and the giant grew very fond of each other during their travels. After Jassad Attqua retrieved his golden ship from the lake, he seemed to insane, muttering about his intentions to destroy the Unseen Wall, the yeofolk, and the candlemen. Carverax grabbed the outside of the ship in an effort to stop it from leaving, but was lifted into the air when it took off. As he vanished into the air, the tinderboy cried with anguish. Hearthstone They drove after the golden ship in Nobbon Half-hob's car, but when they reached the Blasted Lands, the boy suddenly left the camp and attempted to walk into the desert. He kicked and struggled when they brought him back, and when they went back in the car to see where he had been going, he smacked the walls and roof to find a way out. He eventually managed to escape, and when Hitch and Varve followed him, they found the valley of the hearthstone. The candlemen were performing a ritual and summoning lightning to sacrifice Diligence and the other members of her caravan, but the tinderboy pulled out his strongbox and gathered all the lightning within it. Realizing that they now had a real tinderboy in their midst, the candlemen gathered around him. News spread quickly, and he was soon the center of an ever-expanding tribe that agreed to guide the humans to their destination. He would sometimes ride on Varve's shoulder as they walked, and the soldier marched around as a god among the awestruck candlemen. They soon spotted the golden ship off in the distance, and began to panic as they wondered what they could do to it. Eil do Mer told them that she could stop the ship, with the tinderboy's help. With her medallion, she called for her own ship, which was currently under Dubiel's control. At her request, the tinderboy sent his lightning against the ship until it was weakened, and she was able to take control of it again. She then defeated Jassad's golden vessel in battle, and the boy was finally reunited with Carverax. When the humans decided to leave, the giant chose to stay with its young friend, rather than travel on with Hitch's group. Before the humans left, the tinderboy gave Varve a small white doll carved from wormbone, and Varve had a tear in his eye as they left the camp. Category:Dreamwright & Shadowsmith characters